Coastal and marine policy, parks, and international tourism in the Dominican Republic

Coastlines worldwide are under threat of overdevelopment. The well-being of the coastal-marine interface depends on effective policies that promote careful planning of their development and the absolute protection of pristine areas of national or global significance. While Western nations struggle with the complexity of integrated management of the land-sea interface, in less economically developed countries there is often less capacity to deal with complex environmental management challenges. Furthermore, in developing countries such as the Dominican Republic, which are essentially or fundamentally coastal or island nations, there is a further heavy reliance on these coastal resources for their development. Under these circumstances, national parks and marine protected areas can no longer be considered bastions but instead fragile areas constantly under threat for alternative uses.